When you think of a Texas ranch wedding complete with tacos and line dancing, I bet Scottish bagpipes and kilts aren’t what you picture along with it–but that’s exactly what makes Laura and Callum’s wedding so amazing! These Scottish sweethearts welcomed their loved ones to their new home of Houston for their wedding, so naturally, they had to pull out all the stops showing everyone a true Southern celebration. Even though they decided to tie the knot an ocean away from home, though, their wedding wasn’t without some incredibly special nods to their home country, from the Scottish thistle Agave Estates included in the boutonnieres to the Robert Burns poem Laura’s aunt read during the ceremony. I loved seeing how Laura and Callum brought Scottish and Texan cultures together on this special day, and am so glad Leighanne Herr was on hand to capture it all!
We picked Pine Lake Ranch for both the ceremony and reception. I fell in love with the setting of the ranch, especially the big old oak tree where the ceremony took place. We loved that we had a venue that could hold all of our family and friends in one location. The ranch was beautiful, scenic, and spacious.
Describe your wedding flowers. I wanted the flowers to be simple but beautiful. My florist selected the sahara and blush roses to put into my bouquet, along with seeded eucalyptus. My bridesmaids had beautiful peach stock and seeded eucalyptus bouquets. My florist gave my dad an English sahara rose for his jacket pocket and my husband and his groomsmen had Scottish thistle for their kilt waistcoats.
Instead of writing vows, we wrote three things we loved about each other, which we gave to our minister before the big day to read to us. Additionally, we also did a unity box as part of the ceremony. We wrote letters to each other, which we popped into the box during the ceremony with a bottle of red wine and nailed the box shut. We plan to open the box when we reach our first anniversary.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. I walked down the aisle to “Highland Cathedral” played by the talented bagpiper Jason Dunn. “Highland Cathedral” is a very traditional song played at Scottish weddings. As Scotland is very dear to us and where we both call home, we wanted to incorporate a little bit of home into our ceremony.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The taco truck. We really wanted to give all our family and friends a sample of the food we have fallen in love with since we moved to Texas. We decided to hire a taco truck for the cocktail hour for all of our guests to enjoy. My only regret was not getting to have one!
Whisk Bakery did a fantastic job with our wedding cake and dessert bar. The cake was an absolute work of art, and the pecan pies and brownies were a great success with our guests. We had nothing to take back with us, as it all got eaten; luckily, my day-of coordinator managed to save the top tier of our wedding cake, so we enjoyed a slice of the yummy cake the following morning.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? As our wedding took place in Texas, we thought it would be fun to have a dance instructor come in and teach our guests some Texas line dancing. We got all of the guests up to line dance to Steve Earl’s “Copperhead Road.” It was so much fun!
How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. We met in Edinburgh in 2007 where we were both studying at university. Like the start of any good love story, we met in a night club. Callum was sitting down because he doesn’t dance, and I needed some rest from dancing and sat down beside him. Callum asked for my number and the rest is history.
Tell us all about the proposal! After finishing university in Edinburgh, a move to Aberdeen to start our careers, and an adventure across the pond to live in Houston, Texas, Callum popped the question in October 2014 on a weekend away in Dallas. After a few “Is this really happening?!” and “It’s only been seven years, are you sure we are ready?!” I finally said “Yes!!!”
When did y’all get married? April 2, 2016
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 92
Tell us about finding your wedding dress. Shopping for my wedding dress was a little stressful. I never knew I was so picky with dresses until I started researching what I wanted. In the end, I settled on a fit and flare mermaid dress. As a word of warning to all future brides, if you like to dance and/or move, this dress style is not ideal.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? My aunt beautifully read a Scottish poem by Robert Burns, “My Luve is like a Red, Red Rose.”
Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! Borrowed: My auntie Sue gave me her beautiful bracelet to wear, and my auntie Kathy made my garter with blue bow details embroidered on it. My grandmother’s brooch was my something old. For my something new, my maid of honor gave me a lovely white horseshoe which I carried down the aisle with me.
How did you plan for your marriage while planning your wedding? It was difficult not to get caught up in the planning stage. We had such an amazing and supportive minister. Meeting with him was a vital part of keeping us focused on why we were planning a wedding and the planning of our marriage.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? At the very end of the evening, both my husband and I were on the dance floor, “Loch Lomond” by Runrig was playing, and we had all of our family and friends in a large circle around us, singing. We remember saying to each other that we couldn’t have been more thankful and blessed to have everyone at our wedding to celebrate our next adventure together as husband and wife.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We are still living in Houston, Texas and loving every minute of living here. We are excited to announce that we are expecting and will be welcoming a little one to our family at the end of April! We are so excited and can’t wait to meet the little one.
Photographer: Leighanne Herr Photography | Planner: Bundle Bride | Venue: Pine Lake Ranch | Florist: Agave Estates | Wedding Cake: Whisk Bakery | Caterer: Taco Nuts | Band: Royal Dukes Band | Bagpiper: Jason Gunn via Drones N Drums | Paper Products: 4 Love Polka Dots | Bride’s Gown: Winnie Couture | Bride’s Accessories and Bridesmaids’ Dresses: BHLDN | Hair and Makeup: Adorne Artistry | Bride’s Shoes: Ivanka Trump
These details are amazing! Loved the florals around the tree and the cake especially! The couple looked really fun and unique, too :)
[…] From Texas, a romantic Southern-meets-Scottish wedding. […]